When completed, the nearly $1-billion Measure R project will include six new light-rail stations with intermodal parking facilities in the cities of Arcadia, Monrovia, Duarte, Irwindale and Azusa; two dozen new and rebuilt bridge structures; 14 grade crossings; 3.6 miles of relocated track within a shared corridor with BNSF and a 24-acre, $265-million operations campus to house up to 84 light-rail vehicles.

"We were the first Measure R rail project to break ground and we have stayed on-schedule and on-budget since we began work in 2010," commented construction authority CEO Habib Balian on the milestone. "We still have a significant way to go to substantial completion, but the progress already made provides the confidence that we will be able to meet our schedule and deliver this regionally significant project on time and on budget."

All three design-build projects have been awarded for the project: the $18.6-million Gold Line Bridge to Skanska USA; the $486-million Pasadena to Azusa Alignment to Foothill Transit Constructors – a Kiewit-Parsons Joint Ventura (FTC) and the $48.7-million intermodal parking and enhancements to Webcor. The Gold Line Bridge was completed on time and on budget in late 2012.

The Pasadena to Azusa Alignment is being designed and built by FTC and is also on-schedule and on-budget. Since work began in early 2012, FTC has utilized nearly 500,000 work hours on the project and has now surpassed 50 percent completion. To date, eight grade crossings, 15 bridge structures, 40 percent of the operations campus and 70 percent of the utility work has been completed. The freight track between San Gabriel Ave. in Azusa and the Glendora city border has been fully realigned to its new position south of the future light-rail tracks, more than half of the overhead catenary system foundations have been put in place and track is starting to be installed. Notably, of the nearly half million work hours completed, none have been lost due to injury.

Just 18 months from now, the alignment and parking contracts will be completed. The construction authority anticipates having the operations campus ready for the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) in March 2015 and the remainder of the project turned over to LACMTA in September 2015 for testing andpre-revenue service.